Newcastle Jets have confirmed the departure of star forward Apostolos Stamatelopoulos to a European team for an undisclosed transfer fee.
Stamatelopoulos was contracted to the Jets for the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season but Newcastle have netted a fee to allow the Socceroo to “increase his chances of selection” ahead of the Socceroos’ upcoming 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup qualifiers.
The 25-year-old broke Newcastle’s record for most goals in a season with 17 last term as he also earned his international debut with Australia against Palestine in June.
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Stamatelopoulos also scored two goals for the A-Leagues All Stars Men in their 8-0 demolition of Premier League giants Newcastle United in May.
The Jets, meanwhile, said they “remain active in the transfer market and will further bolster the playing squad in the coming weeks”.
“Apostolos heads to Europe with our best wishes,” said Jets CEO Shane Mattiske.
“We understand that in order for Apostolos to push for selection in the Socceroos squad for the 2026 World Cup, he needs to be playing consistently in the coming months and that aligns with the European schedule.
“We’re really proud of his development at the Jets over the past season and would love to see him and his family return to Newcastle in the future.
“Under Rob and the broader Jets team, we are an ideal destination for young players to develop into elite footballers.”
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Stamatelopoulos first arrived in Newcastle from Western United in 2021 and scored three goals in 12 Isuzu UTE A-League matches.
At the end of 2020-21, he moved overseas to play for Greek sides Rodos and PAS Giannina F.C.
In 2023-24, Stamatelopoulos re-joined the Jets and flourished under head coach Rob Stanton.
